It’s all of those and that’s only using some of the appropriate words.

The only good that can be said about corporal punishment is that it lends itself admirably to the construction of long sentence writing and the strong possibility of that particular sentence gaining a Guinness Book record!

It also allows you to choose a word or group of words from an enormous selection to list an incalculable number of known negatives about it in the one sentence.

Other than that, corporal punishment is appalling… atrocious etcetera (refer to the above).

2011, superheroes Justice Md. Imman Ali and Justice Md. Sheikh Hasan Arif described corporal punishment as ‘cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and a clear violation of a child’s fundamental right to life, liberty and freedom’.

It beggars belief that in these modern days of enriched enlightenment with so much information freely available, that the horrific practice still continues. As a result, children are suffering in many different ways every day at the hands of ignorant ‘teachers’ who should know better or just don’t care.

Understandably, the majority of incidents never get a mention in the papers – the columns would be chock-a-block full and choking from their overpowering strangulation.

It’s not until a child is maimed, severely injured, killed or is driven to suicide as a result of corporal punishment does it receive a mention in the media.

On a scale of 1-10, let’s regard the severities mentioned as a 10, but what about all the sixes, sevens, eights and nines that may not leave timeless scars on the outside, but has wreaked havoc, possibly wrecked, the child’s mind on the inside?

Guest writer Sir Frank Peters Sir Frank Peters is a former newspaper and magazine publisher and editor, a goodwill ambassador, a humanitarian and a respected foreign non-political writer.